Division I - Biology, Chemistry, and Process Engineering

Optimizing Meat Substitutes from Pea and Soy Proteins – Food Process Engineers Examine Production Process (Extrusion).

In canteens and supermarkets, plant-based substitute products for chicken escalopes and beef steaks have become standard fare. Together with colleagues from TU Berlin, researchers at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) are examining how these products are manufactured. Their aim is to give these high-protein foods, based on soybeans or peas for example, a meat-like texture.

Successful implementation of the energy transition requires new materials and technologies for the storage of electric energy. The “Energy Storage beyond Lithium” initiative of KIT and Ulm University pursues a multidisciplinary approach with electrochemists, material scientists, theoretical modelists, and engineers being involved.

The central objective of the planned research cluster is to develop fundamental understanding of electrochemical energy storage in novel systems, to combine fundamental material properties with critical performance parameters, and to establish the basis for practical application of post-lithium technologies.

Further information on www.celest.de 

Vapor Deposition of a Liquid Crystal Layer with Reactive Molecules Provides Customized Nanofibers for Different Applications – Publication in Science.

Polymer pelts made of the finest of fibers are suitable for many different applications, from coatings that adhere well and are easy to remove to highly sensitive biological detectors. Researchers at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) together with scientists in the United States have now developed a cost-effective process to allow customized polymer nanofibers to grow on a solid substrate through vapor deposition of a liquid crystal layer with reactive molecules. The researchers report on their innovative method in the journal Science. (DOI: 10.1126/science.aar8449).

EU Stipulates Higher Recycling Quotas – Reusing Electronic Devices Remains a Challenge – KIT-Developed Detachable Adhesive Is to Improve Sorting of Components.

Adhesives to join components are indispensable in industry, but reliable joining is no longer sufficient. The recycling economy pushed by the EU requires proper disassembly of high-tech products, such as mobiles, into their basic materials during repairs or recycling. A thermolabile and reversible adhesive developed by Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) now helps to do so. This invention can be used for a wide range of applications and will reduce the consumption of resources.

KIT’s Spinoff Ineratec Is the Best Startup in Germany.

Inexpensive production of synthetic fuels from renewable energy sources is an important element of the energy transition. Production of synthetic gasoline, kerosene, diesel or natural gas, however, requires very large facilities. Ineratec, a spinoff of Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), has managed to shrink chemical reactors down to a compact format that fits into a ship container and can be used at any location. For this, the startup was granted the German Entrepreneur Award 2018 in Berlin.